Sub-Elite Marathon Nutrition: What's Your Go-To Strategy?

Your plan sounds fine. Lose the handheld.

Two waffles an hour before. One gel at mile 7. Sip of water at every station. Just a sip. Liquid electrolyte drink when available. I bring the powder with me. I snatch a bottle or cup that’s available and pour the powder in then chug. It’s messy. But it gets the job done and I’ve much better success with it. My stomach doesn’t do well during races, so I have to do liquid. It won’t allow me to swallow any nutrition after 45 minutes. But whatever electrolyte drink is on course I just take. The powder I use at mile 14 and 20-22 depending how I feel.

ParkwayKing wrote:

I usually do about 250ml black coffee, 500ml water, and two slices toast with peanut butter + banana about 3 hours before...

Seems like you wouldn't get much benefit from the coffee's caffeine 3 hours before the race. I thought caffeine's impact fully kicked in after about an hour and then gradually declined.

Hmmm.... wrote:

ParkwayKing wrote:

I usually do about 250ml black coffee, 500ml water, and two slices toast with peanut butter + banana about 3 hours before...

Seems like you wouldn't get much benefit from the coffee's caffeine 3 hours before the race. I thought caffeine's impact fully kicked in after about an hour and then gradually declined.

Yeah, that's to help drop a deuce.

I get as much coffee as I want, but usually it's probably 12-16 oz or .375-.5 liters of coffee starting around 2.75-2.5 hours before the race start so that I'm done around 2 hours before. Then I just sip on some water until about 90-75 minutes before the start.

3 hours before the start I typically eat oatmeal, maybe with some toast.

A half hour before the race I take a Honey stinger gel packet thing.

I carry one Honey Stinger with me and take it around 5 miles into the race, then if I have bottles I prefer tailwind (100 calories in about 7-8oz of liquid). I only take about half of it at a time, so 50 calories several times during the race. So we're talking 100 calories right before the race, 100 more a few miles in, then maybe 250-300 more from bottles totaling 450-500 calories from roughly the start of the race to the end. For me I find this is enough, if it wasn't I'd probably add in one more gel since it's the best way for me to get the calories, I don't like drinking a full 8oz of liquid just to get the 100 calories.

I had two donuts and a cup of tea. But that was back when marathons started at 10 or 11 AM or even later. Later when start times got ridiculously early I never had anything before and I never had anything during the race unless it was really hot. I took some water at Boston in 1976 when it was in the 90s and ended up with diarrhea in the last 6-7 miles which slowed me quite a bit.

ParkwayKing wrote:

Hmmm.... wrote:

Seems like you wouldn't get much benefit from the coffee's caffeine 3 hours before the race. I thought caffeine's impact fully kicked in after about an hour and then gradually declined.

Yeah, that's to help drop a deuce.

Got it. Foam rolling 30 minutes before I have to leave for the race takes care of that for me. 8 oz. of beet juice a day for the 4 days beforehand also helps prevent any problems of that sort, in addition to its supposed endurance benefit.

You are asking some good questions. These are my opinions, take them for what they ar worth, it is a little bit of a marathon hot take.

AVOID simple sugar at all costs. Increased sugar leads to increased insulin secretion, which leads to decreased fat burning. You need to burn fat to run a good marathon.

Instead of regular Gels, take UCAN. look it up, its great.